Ashley Madison Hack Forces Josh Duggar & Others To Face the Music

Ashley Madison has become a household name thanks to hackers who leaked the personal information of its members. Marketed as a place for married people to get “your knocks off,” it is a kind of delicious playground of forbidden fruit.

Revealing the adulterous website’s clients gives insight into a plethora of realities that aren’t really surprising. And if you are like me, you went and checked the database to see if maybe, just maybe, someone you know is a part of this questionable availability. No one that I know personally was exposed, but a man that many love to hate was- Josh Duggar.

It really should come as no surprise that he is an Ashley Madison member, but I will admit that when I saw his name in connection with the hack, I thought to myself, “This is a joke, there is no way this guy is that stupid.” Alas, we all know that it is true.

This week’s For the Record is talking about not how incredibly, self serving, selfish, misogynistic and disgracing the existence of Ashley Madison is, but about how men, in particular Josh Duggar, secretly lead the very lives that they openly criticize and condemn.

People who oppose what I’m saying are more than likely fellow right winged, charismatic, religious, narrow minded minions who support those who’s agenda is in alignment with their own one sided way of thinking. I have been apart of a religious organization in the past who’s belief systems is very similar to that of the Duggars, which doesn’t mean I have an axe to grind but rather that I have an insight and understanding as to why these people do what they do.

So why would a right winged, bible toting, professing “Christian” whose brand is a ruse of propriety and piety (that has been debunked in yet another sex scandal) even be involved in this kind of behavior? The answer to that is multifold.

Josh Duggar’s problems with sexual misconduct have everything to do with the way he was raised, first of all. His parents were over protective, they were over bearing and they didn’t allow their children the outlet they needed to have healthy experiences for certain kinds of normal curiosities. This kind of parenting, while for most is rooted in the desire to protect their children, often times is a need to control the appearance of a certain portrayal and creates damaging effects that enable the kinds of behaviors in which Duggar has been participating. His upbringing is the perfect breeding ground for sinister hidden desires, secret addictions and a warped sense of reality.

Having to keep your addiction to porn (among other things) from 20 other people you see all the time means finding ways to hide what you are going through. Which brings me to the second reason I believe that Josh Duggar is involved in this scandal- he never really dealt with the sexual desires he developed as a result of a suppressed environment. When you are a part of the Duggar’s kind of religious conditioning, it is looked down upon to show that kind of weakness. You aren’t going to pray them away because that would require true spirituality (not religiosity) so you either just brush things under the rug in an attempt to forget what you feel or you secretly indulge in them. That leads to an altered perception, which leads to screwed up expectations and the need to always look for a way to get it.

Finally, when you spend your life getting away with messed up things, you begin to think that you are the exception to the rule and your ability to do the exact opposite of what comes out of your mouth becomes a power thing. The very fact that he was okay to champion his Christian values while engaging in activities that are a clear violation of his public image is a stark indication that his influence in the conservative ranks and other religious circles made him feel immune to the consequences of his actions. I have seen it happen first hand. These men are walking contradictions because they feel untouchable. Powerful men (those who have massive amounts of influence) with character flaws and who practice situational ethics can become delusional to what’s appropriate because the fuss people make about who they are clouds their cognition. I have no doubt this happened to the reality TV star.

If I’m being honest here too, Josh and his family could have very well believed that despite his indiscretions, asking God for forgiveness was a sufficient way to move forward from the situations that served as precursors to his Ashley Madison affiliation. I in no way am taking away from the belief and practice of repentance, but true repentance is asking for forgiveness and turning away from the sin. How can you turn away from something that you haven’t been delivered from and how can you be delivered if you can’t confess and get help?

Know that I am not taking up Josh Duggar because I believe that his abuse of power has caught up to him. It bothers me, however, that even with his admitting to being the “biggest hypocrite ever” and “espousing faith and family values,”, there are still those who will campaign for him, all the while condemning others who commit “sins,” creating a type of hierarchy of wrong doings that are forgivable and those that aren’t.

Latest ‘celebrity’ outed by Ashley Madison hack.

Josh Duggar wasn’t the only celebrity to be caught using Ashley Madison, a cheating site designed to connect people up to have affairs.

The Daily Mail discovered that someone with the same name and mailing address as YouTube star Sam Rader had been a paying member in the fall of 2013.

Sam Radar shot to fame when his wife and him made a viral video in which Sam surprised her with news of their pregnancy. Unfortunately, days later the couple announced that Nia had suffered a miscarriage. However, the two reportedly still make in the six figures for their VLogs on the video site.

In addition to being married already, Sam’s use of Ashley Madison also goes against his extremely religious background. Through his VLogs, he constantly shares his strong Christian beliefs with the world and has many videos that focus on the Bible and being faithful in one’s marriage.

A few hours after The Daily Mail made its claims, Sam took to YouTube to post another video titled “Forgiven,” where he confirms that he did in fact have a membership with Ashley Madison.

In the video, Sam explains:

“I’m here to clarify some of this to you guys because I owe it to you. I did make the account. I made the account two years ago. This is an issue that is in our past. This was before I got onto YouTube.”

Sam claims that his wife has already forgiven him for his “mistake,” and “[he] sought forgiveness to God and he has forgiven [him].”

Although he was a member on the site, Sam claims that he “never had an affair with anybody” and the account was made out of “simple curiosity.”

In both Sam’s and Josh Duggar’s case, it seems they will both remain married men following their Ashley Madison scandals.

Founder of The CurvyGirl Diva Blog, Rasheda lends her opinions and insights about everything from life, fashion, entertainment and pop culture to various websites and blogs. Her motto “tear shit up” guides her writing and her life.